$1.5B-$2B - try to spend it better than Disney

[DVCcurious]

The goal of MM+ was to keep people on property. So we need to think of ways to keep people on property more efficiently for the billions of dollars they spent. You guys aren't thinking big enough!

Here are my ideas to keep people on property:

1) Put in those "severe tire damage" spikes at the exits to Disney property. This should be cheap, cheap, cheap

2) build a big moat teeming with alligators all around the property

3) Build The Great Wall Of Disney and tell everybody it's a new attraction themed to the China pavillion at Epcot.

4) Trap everybody inside a giant dome like they did on the Simpsons movie.

5) change the street signs so that every exit sign sends you deeper towards the middle of the property

 

[Laketravis]

Build another WDW in Texas.

 

[RMulieri]

Epcot Futureworld needs some serious TLC , it is a shadow of its former self.Star Wars land would be a step in the right direction too

 

[TwoMisfits]

For the OP - awesome idea! I don't ever say that sort of thing with regards to these sort of "what would you do?" postings. But you have great ideas!!

Phineas and Ferb in Imagination Pavilion? Perfect match! "Hey Ferb, I know what we are going to do today - Save Epcot!". I can see Figment and Perry getting along perfectly as well.

Wonders of Life would make an amazing indoor playground for kids and adults. Imagine a huge central playground for kids that could be sports themed out, surrounded by tables and chairs, with booths that could sell healthy snacks, plus a character greeting area and a nice baby center with a baby-centric play area, nursing and so on. There is a sponsor lounge in the Life pavilion that could be used for a baby center, so it is possible. Plus sports themed characters, like Goofy in his workout outfit? Mousekersize anyone? Health and obesity are important issues - it would make a great pavilion. I'm not saying to make it into a giant child dump, just an area to relax and learn about sports and health while playing. Plus, indoor play and learn areas are so nice in Orlando.

I like the Wonders of Life idea, integrating in a nice baby center and the sports-theme idea. Circulating sports-themed characters would also be perfect! So, 21st century Body Wars, giant child/adult soft and magical playground (themed on sports and staying active), and a baby center with baby play area. Done!

Sometimes, I wonder if Imagineers have stopped imagining at the parks...maybe part of the new Imagination pavilion should be a place in the experience center where you can imagine and add anything to the park and see what happens (like Scribblenauts - add anything you can dream up) - that would give Disney some imaginative feedback on how not to let the parks fall into disuse...

 

[Annadesu]

What would I do... Hmm...

1) As many have already said, I would update "Future" world in Epcot. Allow changing exhibits, and such, so the technology didn't get "old" right away. Maybe add a country or two to the World Showcase. Epcot could use more rides in general.

2) Just more... roller coasters. Rides with dramatic drops/loops, and all that. Rockin' Roller Coaster style.

3) Star Wars land, of course! lol

4) Since Disney managed to talk with Miyazaki about getting Studio Ghibli merchandise in Epcot (not to mention helping distribute his movies to North America), I always thought they could make a "World of Miyazaki" ride, where you could travel to all the different worlds/movies from his films. They could put it in the Japan section of Epcot, somehow... I realize this is stretch, and would need lots of permission/money, but I would still love to see it.

 

[Pleglech]

How much to build a functional Death Star?

 

[ucfknight]

Build another WDW in Texas.

I'd prefer they build one in Brazil.

 

[Buzzsgramma]

It's not Rocket Science!!!!!!!!!!!

Three generations of our family love ......STAR WARS LAND.....build it and they will come.....

 

[Bluegrrl]

I'm not a huge fan of the tour groups, but since there are so many Brazilians who visit, it would make sense for Brazil to sponsor a land. There are so many Brazilians who visit anyway that it would make sense. Maybe a rainforest ride? That would make EPCOT serious money. I would also like to see the Mt. Fuji ride that had once been planned for Japan, as well as the England ride. Also an update of Maelstrom. Those polar bears are looking kinda pathetic. Maybe put Frozen there? I'm not a huge fan of Frozen, but everyone else is and Disney has a HUGE cash cow there.

Also, I kinda like what DL did to Small World with adding Disney characters, I'd do that too. Plus actual Christmas overlays with Small World, Mansion and JC. And not just the lame overlay that they did this year, but a proper one.

Plus an update to my love, the ride I worked on during my CP days, the wonderful Great Movie Ride. Give it some serious lovin'.

How is it that this board has better ideas than Disney?

 

[jade1]

Do both.

Spend another $1.8 billion on expansion and offer 8 FP+ and no tears, I mean tiers.

 

[butterfly71076]

Love the Phineas & Ferb idea! It fits so well in Imagination. I like the Marvel ideas too! You really thought this out OP!

 

[ucfknight]

I would also like to see the Mt. Fuji ride that had once been planned for Japan

The ride building is already there. As always, it is just waiting for a sponsor to step in to finance the building of the ride. Now that Kodak went bankrupt and has severed all sponsorship agreements with Disney, someone at Disney should call up someone at Fuji....
"Hey... remember how like 20 years ago you wanted to sponsor a Mt. Fuji ride at Epcot and we couldn't let you because Kodak was one of our major sponsors already? You still want to build that?"

Nevermind... I just saw that Nikon is the new official camera sponsor at Disney World. So it is Nikon that Disney should be hitting up for ride sponsorship opportunities. That's perfect as a Japanese corporation should surely want to sponsor their homeland's pavilion.

 

[tfc3rid]

Spend the money on original attractions... We don't need everything linked to Pixar movies or even Disney characters...

The best attractions Disney ever made were originals... The Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, Jungle Cruise, Space Mountain, Thunder Mountain, etc... That was creativity at its finest and no need to tie in to a brand or character, these concepts were ground breaking... I get that cross promotion is important but originality is important as well...

 

[Ted C]

And to think, FP- worked just fine with little maintenance and would have continued to work just fine into the future. Building "Florida Adventure/Cars Land East" would have served them/us oh so much better. I love the way these execs think this technology will save them money and keep them more organized. 4B is a lot of money. I'm telling you, the history books will confirm and flush this stuff out. Like the one article said, "While DCA was doing this, WDW was doing that..."

 

[RMulieri]

As SHIELD falls in the Avengers "family", elements of which are obviously in active use at Islands of Adventure, I believe Disney would be forbidden from using anything related to SHIELD at WDW.

Correct.Disney would need to write universal a very large check to us the characters in florida.Dont see that happening

 

[Ted C]

We saw this kind of mentality begin with AK and AKL, the pencil pushers vs the true theme park enthusiasts running the show. Whoever designed and signed off on both needs to be spanked and then fired. The rooms are too small at AKL and the park paths too narrow at AK. This makes for a way less positive experience than it could have been if they just would have made them both a bit bigger. I mean the park is huge but the paths are tiny in comparison, even three or four feet wider would have made a huge difference in the paths and overall park experience. A couple feet wider in the rooms would have also made a huge difference. This is where monies should be spent, improving the overall infrastructure.

 

[ucfknight]

....and the park paths too narrow at AK. This makes for a way less positive experience than it could have been if they just would have made them both a bit bigger. I mean the park is huge but the paths are tiny in comparison, even three or four feet wider would have made a huge difference in the paths and overall park experience.

When the Animal Kingdom opened, they said they made the paths more narrow and winding than the other parks for 2 reasons:

1. They wanted you to feel more connected with nature. In essence, if you were always close to trees/landscaping/animals you would feel more immersed in nature than if you were walking down a 100 foot wide concrete highway.

2. There could never be a parade at Animal Kingdom. They didn't want any parades coming through to spoil the feeling of the park, so they made the main pathways narrow to make a parade logistically impossible.
Of course, after 3 or 4 years with many guests complaining about the lack of activities in the park, they found a way to shoe-horn in a parade to try to suck up another 30-45 minutes of guests' days

 

[morethananyonex]

We saw this kind of mentality begin with AK and AKL, the pencil pushers vs the true theme park enthusiasts running the show. Whoever designed and signed off on both needs to be spanked and then fired. The rooms are too small at AKL and the park paths too narrow at AK. This makes for a way less positive experience than it could have been if they just would have made them both a bit bigger. I mean the park is huge but the paths are tiny in comparison, even three or four feet wider would have made a huge difference in the paths and overall park experience. A couple feet wider in the rooms would have also made a huge difference. This is where monies should be spent, improving the overall infrastructure.

Aren't the rooms at AKL similar in size to WL? Isn't that part of the reason those two are the cheapest deluxes? Wouldn't larger rooms equal less rooms equal higher prices per night?

 

[ucfknight]

Aren't the rooms at AKL similar in size to WL? Isn't that part of the reason those two are the cheapest deluxes? Wouldn't larger rooms equal less rooms equal higher prices per night?

Yes. The Animal Kingdom Lodge is patterned off the Wilderness Lodge. In essence, it is a "low end" Deluxe with smaller rooms, but also smaller prices, than the other deluxe resorts. With Animal Kingdom lodge, they tried to maximize the amount of premium rooms available which they could charge more for with the high percentage of Savannah View and Pool View rooms. Other than that, it is very similar to the Wilderness Lodge in concept.

 

[surferdave]

How much to build a functional Death Star?

$852,000,000,000,000,000